Some folks chase alternatives, whereas others create them. Umair Javed is firmly within the second camp. Because the Founder and CEO of tkxel, he grew a modest college mission into a worldwide expertise powerhouse, delivering options for a few of the world’s greatest manufacturers. However his ambition stretches far past firm success. It’s about reshaping the world’s notion of Pakistan’s tech potential.
His work has earned worldwide recognition. Umair has been featured within the Forbes Asia 100 to Watch, acquired the APAC Tech Visionary Award, and below his management, tkxel has constantly ranked on the Inc. 5000 record. By means of his enterprise fund Lean Bricks, he has backed startups which are tackling real-world issues throughout healthcare, training, and monetary inclusion.
From coding in a small room at LUMS to talking on international platforms, Umair’s story is about grit, imaginative and prescient, and an unshakable perception in folks. We sat down with him to hint the journey, the pivotal moments, and what nonetheless fuels his hearth.
Let’s rewind a bit. You began tkxel whilst you have been nonetheless at LUMS. What stands out to you about these early days?
Actually, it was chaos in the easiest way. I nonetheless keep in mind the LUMS laptop lab, horrible espresso, massive desires, and nil sleep. Enjoyable reality, about 60 % of my graduating batch ended up beginning tech corporations. Perhaps it was one thing within the tea.
We had no plan. 5 of us chipped in 5 hundred {dollars} and mentioned, “Let’s attempt.” We had no worldwide connections, no mentors, and completely no clue land purchasers overseas. However typically, not understanding is a blessing. It makes you fearless.
Our first actual pitch was to a U.S. well being tech firm. Their CTO requested us, “How do you propose to run a tech firm from a rustic with energy outages?” It was a good query. We didn’t argue. We constructed.
By 2012, we had developed a diagnostic device that helped scale back scientific diagnostic errors by 17 %. That modified the dialog. Walmart got here subsequent. That deal in 2014 gave us international credibility. It made us imagine that enjoying on the world stage was potential, not sometime however proper now.
And even in the present day, each time we remedy a tough drawback, it nonetheless seems like day one.
Going from coder to CEO is an enormous shift. How has your concept of management developed over time?
At first, I believed management meant being concerned in every part—each line of code, each shopper assembly, each hiring choice needed to undergo me. However I finally realized that’s not management; that’s micromanagement.
True management is about constructing an setting the place others can thrive. I keep in mind once we have been establishing our crew in Nairobi. I used to be pulling all-nighters with the interns, considering I used to be main by instance. One in every of them, Fatima, challenged a few of our core processes—respectfully, however boldly. In the present day, she heads our healthcare division in that area. That second taught me what belief and empowerment actually appear like.
After all, I’ve made errors too. After our early success at Tkxel, I spun off two new ventures—a gaming studio and a digital company. Each crossed seven figures shortly. I handed them over to new CEOs and stepped again. Inside a 12 months, each had failed. That have taught me a tough lesson: scaling isn’t about doing extra, it’s about doing the fundamentals higher—and staying near your folks.
You’ve invested in a number of startups by Lean Bricks. What do you search for once you make investments?
I search for actual ache. Not a slick pitch deck or a classy concept, however an issue that somebody cares deeply about fixing.
GrocerApp is a good instance. It began as a WhatsApp group throughout Pakistan’s inflation disaster. No app. No web site. Simply households sharing offers to outlive rising costs. That urgency was actual. That spirit is what we backed. In the present day, GrocerApp reaches tens of millions of customers.
Tripkar was one other one. They linked lots of of small transporters who had no digital presence earlier than. All of the sudden, these households have been making actual earnings by providing reasonably priced journey choices.
When folks construct from a spot of lived expertise, magic occurs.
Pakistan’s tech business looks as if it’s heating up. The place do you see it going subsequent?
We’re undoubtedly in a golden second. Our tech exports crossed three billion {dollars} lately. International corporations are noticing our engineering expertise. Our startups are elevating actual cash now.
However momentum is fragile. For actual progress, we’d like higher broadband infrastructure, particularly in rural areas. We’d like startup-friendly banking insurance policies. And we’d like constant rules that don’t change each six months.
Additionally, we have to normalize failure. In Silicon Valley, folks put on failures like badges of honor. Right here, one failed startup and everybody treats you want you’ve gotten a illness. That has to vary.
The following 5 years will resolve if we’re only a cool headline or an actual motion.
You’ve had a collection of spectacular milestones. Was there a specific second once you felt, “We’ve actually arrived—that is actual now
That’s at all times a troublesome one. Each recognition has meant one thing—Forbes, Inc. 5000, Tech Visionary Awards—however being named to the Forbes Asia 100 to Watch record in 2022 actually stood out. It wasn’t only a private or firm milestone—it felt like a win for Pakistani innovation at massive.
The Inc. 5000 rankings in each 2023 and 2024 have been additionally main moments. They validated that we weren’t simply constructing an organization—we have been constructing an ecosystem. These honors opened doorways, gave our crew international credibility, and made it simpler to draw high worldwide expertise. That’s when it felt like we have been not simply within the recreation—we have been serving to outline it.
If you happen to might give your youthful self one piece of recommendation, what would it not be?
Belief your self extra. And be affected person.
At 22, I believed if I didn’t make it by 25, I had failed. However the fact is, constructing one thing actual takes time. It takes falling down, getting up, doubting your self, and nonetheless displaying up the following morning. You aren’t falling behind. You might be simply preparing.
Lastly, what’s your final imaginative and prescient for tkxel and past?
I desire a world the place “inbuilt Pakistan” robotically means world-class high quality.
How can we get there? By fixing actual issues. By supporting startups. By demanding smarter insurance policies. And by doing the arduous work ourselves as an alternative of ready for another person to sort things.
If you’re beginning out, right here is my recommendation. You do not want an ideal plan. You want deep take care of the issue you’re fixing. You want the braveness to remain even when it will get ugly. And you could present up day by day, even when nobody is watching.
That’s how you modify the story.
Have you ever learn?
The World’s Finest Medical Colleges.
The World’s Finest Universities.
The World’s Finest Worldwide Excessive Colleges.
The World’s Finest Enterprise Colleges.
The World’s Finest Vogue Colleges.
The World’s Finest Hospitality And Resort Administration Colleges.
